A New York Story
by Kurama no Tenchi
Summary: Thanks to an exchange program, Kagome and Sango are now spending their school year in New York. With a charming jock, his cute kid brother, a jealous cheerleader, and a pervert, their stay turns out to be a little more then they expected. Completed.
1. The Arrival

Hope you like this fic.

It's my very first Inuyasha fic, and my very first romance, so could all you readers please be kind?

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #1 

Kagome and Sango surveyed their apartment with identical looks.

Major disappointment.

They had begged their parents to let them go on this trip. They were, after all, _almost _seniors. Kinda.

They were responsible enough.

They were also best friends, they'd always have someone to talk to, and look out for.

They even swore to call every day.

And really, New York was the chance of a lifetime.

Do the schoolwork, meet new people, get through the classes, and then spend the rest of your time shopping, at cafes, poetry readings, art galleries, museums, plays...does that sound like paradise or what?

Their parents had been doubtful, as parents usually are.

They were two young girls in high school. Didn't they want to wait until their senior year for the big exchange program?

But they had argued, and they had gotten their way.

They packed, they flew, they even took pictures of the nice foreign cabdriver, and now they were here.

At the assigned apartment.

Where they were expect to spend the rest of the school year.

"This sucks," Sango announced. Then she squinted at the lamp in the corner. It was shaped like a hula dancer. Can you say 'tacky'?

"This...this is where we're expected to spend the rest of our junior year?" Kagome looked in horror at the plaid couch, the pink curtains, and the very very lime green carpet.

_The décor obviously needs work_, Kagome decided. _Very nasty. This place really needs a change. _She looked at the tye-dye wallpaper. _Such as a decorator who isn't blind._

"I don't think I shall ever survive!" Kagome threw herself on the plaid couch, and tossed her head back in a very dramatic fashion. "Never have I seen an apartment such as this...this..."

"Monstrosity?" Sango offered cheerfully.

"Exactly," Kagome agreed, sitting up and glaring at a canary colored armchair.

"I never should have signed you up for that Shakespeare class." Sango sighed as her friend started wailing and weeping over the magenta curtains, and started to walk around. "This place isn't so bad, Kagome." She peered into the two bedrooms. "I get dibs on the black room!"

"You would," Kagome grumbled. "So what does that leave me with?"

"Check it out for yourself!" Her friend yelled from the other room.

Skipping happily on the bouncy green carpet, Kagome swung open her bedroom door.

It wasn't too bad.

Just very...blah.

It had to be the only room in the whole apartment with nothing on the walls but a mirror, some lights, and a window.

Even the bed was plain.

White sheets, grey rugs, and tan walls...yuck. How boring.

Sango popped in and looked the room over.

Throwing her arm around Kagome's shoulders, Sango sang cheerfully, "Don't you worry, Kag mah dear! This place may stink, but never fear! A trip to the nearest bookstore should perk you right up."

"And after that, coffee and cinnamon donuts?" Kagome asked hopefully.

She had a weakness for cinnamon donuts.

"Definitely," Sango agreed. "New York is gonna be awesome, Kag. And tomorrow we have school to look forward to. Common, Kagome, school in _New York_. This is gonna rock."

Kagome looked at her bedroom, and then at her smiling friend.

"If you say so." Throwing her arm around Sango, the two girls locked up and went out to see whatever they could find to see.

Honking, yelling, music, and swearing sounds darted and bounced around the streets.

It certainly was New York.

* * *

How was that for a beginning? I know it was short, but that's how my chapters usually are. 

In the next chapter I'm going to introduce Inuyasha and Mirku. I think.

I'm really sorry if you don't like my couplings, but please don't flame.

I'm a very sensitive person y'know.

(Author looks at readers with innocent eyes.)

(They roll their eyes, and kindly review.)


	2. Greetings and Meetings

Okay, here we go with chapter two.

You know, I _still_ haven't gotten any reviews yet. (hint) (hint)

I'm going to introduce Miroku first, and then save Inuyasha and Kagome's meeting for the big finish.

Don't you just love love?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #2

Okay, this was it.

The moment of truth.

Nervously, Kagome and Sango looked at their class schedules, and then back up at each other.

"Well Sango?"

The girl sighed, and pushed a clump of brown hair away from her eyes. "French, math, science, English, lunch, gym, computers, study hall, history, and health. In that order. So what classes do we have together?"

Kagome sighed. "Just study hall and history. Doesn't seem like much, huh?"

Sango grimaced, and then put on her brave face. "Not to worry Kagome! We'll do fine. Two classes and lunch. Now that's not bad." She smiled sweetly. "We might even meet some new people. Maybe even cheerleaders."

Kagome made gagging motions.

"My thoughts exactly. I'll see you second period, 'kay?"

"Fine." Kagome smiled. "Bye!"

Watching Sango go off, Kagome sighed.

This school was big.

Really big.

Straitening both her books and her uniform, Kagome started down the hall on her way to her first class.

A class that had been, since the beginning of time, created solely to torture and humiliate kids.

Gym.

**First Period**

Sango looked around the classroom.

As French classrooms went, this one didn't look entirely evil.

But looks could be deceiving.

"My, what a _belle fille_," a voice greeted her. A voice belonging to, in Sango's opinion, a total hottie. Purple eyes and black hair. "_Bonjour_. My name's Miroku. Do you mind sharing yours?"

"I'm Sango."

_This really isn't all that bad for a first day_, Sango mused. _Being complimented by a boy in a foreign language. That'll be something to tell Kagome._

That was when her thoughts were interrupted by a hand.

A hand in an inappropriate place.

A hand in an inappropriate place belonging to Miroku.

Who was just standing there.

Smiling.

"Pervert!"

SLAP!

Sango glared at the boy, and stalked over to an empty seat.

Miroku rubbed his cheek, and grinned goofily.

"_Bravo! _What a great arm!"

**Gym**

Kagome looked down at her gym uniform and frowned.

Gym uniforms never looked good.

"Hey," a pretty girl tapped her shoulder. "You're, like, one of the new girls, right?"

Kagome nodded, and took a step back.

A cheerleader.

This girl reeked of pom-poms and make up.

"That's, like, pretty cool. I'm Kikyo."

"Kagome." She put on a friendly smile, and tried to back away from the girl.

You could never trust cheerleaders and all their perky-ness.

"Do you mind if I, like, give you some advice?" Kikyo smiled at Kagome's shrug. "Well, there are some people you, like, would just be better off not, like, talking to. Ya know what I mean?"

"Uh...no?"

Kikyo rolled her eyes. "Look, first of all there are some things you should know." All of a sudden the girl dropped her friendly look. "Never attempt talking to me in, like, public."

"Um, that's really no problem."

"Second of all, don't even think about sitting near me and my friends."

"Actually, the correct grammatical sentence would be: 'Don't even think about sitting near _my friends_ and _me_'—"

"Third of all," Kikyo's eyes narrowed, "stay away from my boyfriend."

"Uh...yeah. Well, I guess I'd better, uh, be going! Nice to meet ya!" Sprinting out of the locker room, Kagome left the grouchy Kikyo in her dust.

Sighing in relief, Kagome looked around for friendly faces.

No luck.

"Okay, listen up!" The coach yelled. "Today we're starting softball. Listen for your partner's name, grab some gloves and a ball, and start practicing your throwing."

Looking at her clipboard, she started reading off names.

Kagome watched hopefully.

_Please, please let me get someone nice..._

"Kagome and Inuyasha!"

Looking over her shoulder, Kagome saw her partner.

Tall, silver hair, and gold eyes...wow.

That was all that could be said.

Wow.

It must be admitted that Kagome gawked a bit.

But really, who could blame her? The guy was gorgeous.

And it wasn't like he wasn't looking at her.

Sweeping those golden eyes from her feet to her face—yes, this got a blush out of the girl—he gave her an amused smirk.

Putting his hand on her shoulder, he lead her over to the pile of softball equipment.

"So, you're the new kid from, what, Chicago?" He tossed her the ball, and grinned mischievously.

That was when Kagome realized him for what he truly was.

A jock.

"Yeah," she snapped. "Chicago. Looks like you've heard of it." Then she hurled the ball at his face.

"Looks like it," he agreed, casually catching the ball. "Big city girl, huh? New York anything impressive?"

Drawing back his arm, Inuyasha threw another perfect pitch.

Kagome glowered.

Jocks.

"I lived in the suburbs." Glowering angrily, she continued trying to make small talk. Plus, she had a question. "Are you a jock?"

It was obvious he was, but she might as well check.

Maybe he was just a self-centered bastard.

It could happen.

Inuyasha looked mildly surprised. "Yeah."

_Ha! Knew it._

"So what is it?" Kagome glared at him.

He looked back at her, completely confused. "Huh?"

"Sport of choice."

"Oh." He shrugged. "Mostly soccer. Some basketball. A little hockey. Why?" He regarded her curiously.

Inuyasha fingered the ball gently before throwing it over to Kagome.

Catching it clumsily, she glared.

"Jocks."

She snorted, and threw the ball.

Hard.

"You're all the same."

An enlightened expression crossed his face. "Ooooh. You have a thing against jocks, eh?" Inuyahsa gave her an irresistibly innocent look. "You wound me. Are you an artist?"

"No."

"Poet?"

"No."

"Writer?"

"_No._"

"Oh." He nodded and grinned playfully. "You're an actress."

Kagome gritted her teeth. "I'm all of the above."

He grinned. "An art-sy person! _Ha!_ Knew it!"

_What familiar words_, she thought in annoyance.

"Bastard."

A look of surprise crossed his features. Then he scowled.

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

"Wench."

"Jock."

"Freak."

"Mindless clone."

"Little—"

They were interrupted by the sound of the school bell.

In unison, they turned their backs on each other, stomped to their separate locker rooms, and growled their way to second period.

Kagome sat at her desk and ignored everyone.

Doodling absentmindedly, she thought sarcastically, _The perfect start to the perfect day. I should've stayed in Chicago._

When she glanced down at what she'd written, she had to grin.

_Inuyasha, I swear to hunt you down! I vow on this geometry text to make your life as miserable as possible. From this day forth you shall tremble at the mention of my name. Inuyasha, I WILL GET YOU! Bwhahahaha!_

Kagome sighed.

Poetry could be so fulfilling.

* * *

That wasn't too bad, if I do say so myself.

In the next chapter Kagome and Sango will get together to share their little learning experiences, and Kikyo will once again make an appearance.

Major Kikyo-bashing ahead, so don't say I didn't warn you!

Oh, and PUL-EASE review.

It would make me ever-so-happy.


	3. A Fight of the Food Variety

Okay, here's chapter three.

I know I haven't really gotten to the plot of the story yet, but just wait.

Pretty soon there's going to be an all-out war between Kagome, Inuyasha, Kikyo, and (as soon as I introduce him) Naraku.

Sango and Miroku...well, I wouldn't consider their situation a "war."

But I'm still going to have a lot of fun with them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #3

Kagome glared at her lunch.

From Chicago to New York, school food grossed her out.

Pushing her tray away, she looked up sharply as Sango sat down.

"I've met a jerk," they announced simultaneously.

They both giggled, momentarily happy, and then the morning's events kicked in.

Kagome motioned for Sango to continue with her story.

"In my French class there was this perverted moron." Sango gulped down a mouthful of crunchy soup, making a face all the while.

Lunch food.

Yuck.

"Was he cute?" Kagome asked cheekily.

"No," Sango snapped. "He was not cute."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

Kagome nodded. "I bet he was cute."

"That's beside the point!" Sango screamed. "That...that..."

"Meanie?" Kagome supplied helpfully.

Sango glared. "That boy groped me."

Kagome immediately stuffed a pizza roll in her mouth.

Sango regarded her friend suspiciously. "You're trying not to laugh."

Kagome shook her head, her cheeks filled with stale bread, tomato sauce, and cheese. A muffled giggle got through all the food.

"You _are_ trying not to laugh!" Sango said accusingly.

That's when Kagome lost it.

Spraying Sango with partially chewed food, Kagome burst into loud, booming laughter.

"HE...(Burst of mirth)...HE FELT—(choking sounds)—HE TRIED...YOU AND HIM...Bwhahahaha!" Kagome's eyes streamed with tears, and Sango flushed red.

The entire cafeteria was staring at them.

Embarrassing.

"Kagome?" Sango asked, desperately trying to change the subject. "What about this guy you met? The jerk?"

Kagome instantly stopped laughing, and started fuming.

"He's just another jock. I got partnered with him in gym, that's all." Her eyes narrowed. "There was also this really prissy cheerleader." Sango, ever the wonderful audience, gasped. "Yes, a cheerleader. She approached me, told me never to: talk to her, sit near her, or come in contact with her boyfriend."

Sango's lips twitched. "Did she use a lot of 'like's?"

A chuckle escaped Kagome. "In at least every other sentence."

They sat in silence for a while, just picking at their food.

"What was her name?"

Kagome frowned, trying to remember. "Ki...Kok...Kikyo."

"You, like, called?" Both girls jumped at turned to the tall cheerleader. Kikyo's scowled down at Kagome. Well, she would have scowled, but that would've cause wrinkles.

Wrinkles.

Ew!

"I thought I told you, like, never to talk to me in public?"

"S-sorry," Kagome stammered. She honestly had been surprised by Kikyo.

"Also, what did I, like, tell you about my boyfriend?" Kikyo advanced on the very nervous Kagome.

"B-boyfriend?"

"Inuyasha."

Kagome's mind temporarily shut down.

That jerk and this girl were going out?

That...that...jock? And this cheerleader?

Not fully being able to comprehend this connection, Kagome did something she often did.

She let her mouth take over.

"Look, you idiotic pom-pom waver, I don't know if your brain's been affected by the amount of hair spray you use (which, by the way, is totally destroying the ozone) so I'll put this simply: I don't like you. You had better just back off if you don't want something really, uh, BAD to happen to you!"

Grabbing a handful of Sango's tuna salad, Kagome flung it into Kikyo's face.

Kikyo stared.

The rest of the cafeteria stared.

Sango decided not to eat her tuna salad.

Kagome panted, and mentally wondered how she was going to get the tuna salad off her hand.

Then all hell broke loose.

"FOOD FIGHT!!!"

Meanwhile, two boys watched from the sidelines.

"That the one you groped?"

"Uh-huh. That the one who hates you?"

"Uh-huh."

Silence.

"Her name's Kagome, right? She's cute. You like her?"

"No. Pervert. She hates me."

"Right."

Silence.

"So you think I have a shot with Sango?"

**Study Hall**

Kagome held up a strand of hair.

A strand of hair coated with some freshman's milkshake.

Sighing, she leaned over her math book.

She had survived a food fight only to be swamped with homework.

"Stop sighing," Sango hissed over her English book. "It's your fault the whole thing got started anyway. What's up with that?"

"Sorry," Kagome whispered apologetically. "It's just what she said..."

"About Inuyasha?" Sango asked knowingly.

"Yeah. I just hate those jocks and cheerleaders. Kikyo was insulting for no reason, and Inuyasha did the whole name-calling thing in gym."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Kagome wilted a bit. "Well, I guess I kinda started it. I thought he was seriously going to be like every other jock out there. However, he didn't exactly try very hard to be nice. All I did was call him a bastard, and then he's all mad and mean."

"You know what I think?" Sango asked. "I think he likes you."

"That—that—NO!" Kagome shook her head, sputtering wildly.

"But more importantly, I think you might have liked him a little."

Protesting violently, Kagome began gathering her things.

Following suit, Sango stood.

Chattering, arguing, and laughing, the two made their way to their next class.

In the corner of the library, a figure watched them.

"Inuyasha, seems that you have a new enemy." Naraku grinned. "And Kikyo, seems that you have competition." Smiling, he stood and left.

There was planning to be done.

* * *

Ooooo, Naraku's planning something!

Ain't Miroku adorable when he thinks about Sango? (Sighs)

I love that couple.

But I love the Inu/Kag coupling even more.

They're just so fun to play with!


	4. Two Talks and an Invitation

Okay, loyal readers, here's the next chapter.

One reviewer pointed out that Kikyo really isn't the cheerleading type.

That is completely right.

But really, loyal readers, you've gotta trust me. I'm planning something, and (hopefully) this will all make sense to you in the end. 'Kay?

In fact, I'll explain my motives a little more in this chapter.

Have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. (So sad...so sad...)

* * *

Chapter #4

"Befriend Kagome."

"Why in the world should I be her friend?"

"You change the look, and she starts to trust you. Starting to make sense?" Naraku asked, amusement in his voice.

Kikyo shrugged. "I've been a cheerleader, I've been an athlete, I've been a nerd. Hey, why not try out being a freak for a change? But that still leaves the question of how, when, and why I'm to become her friend."

"How you'll do it is simply by taking interest in the things she likes. You've done this thing before, or have you completely forgotten all the acting you did to become a popular, beautiful cheerleader?"

Kikyo preened a little. "Sure, but that's different. What's in this for me?"

"You become Kagome's friend as soon as possible, she trusts you, and then you start manipulating her. Simple, no?"

"Fine." Kikyo looked at Naraku. "And you'll call me when you're ready."

"Exactly."

She sighed. "Right. So what type of freak should I become?"

Naraku suppressed a smirk. "I think a Goth would fit quite well."

**Science, Third Period**

Sango edged away from her lab partner.

He edged a little closer to her.

She edged away again.

He edged a little closer to her.

"Could you stop doing that?" She growled, concentrating on the chemicals in front of her. If that pervert tried just one thing, at least she had some very acidic liquids to defend herself with.

"Sorry," Miroku said cheerfully, not really sounding entirely sorry. "So what's Chicago like?"

"It's big, windy, and has a lot of bagel shops," Sango snapped.

"I mean, what about the museums?" Miroku asked.

"Why would you be interested in something like that?"

"I heard they had a really great Natural History museum," Miroku said defensively. "I'm not your average brain dead pervert, y'know. I'm your rare, intellectual, creepy pervert. Big difference."

"Forgive me for mislabeling you," Sango replied sarcastically. "I thought you were a jock."

"Really? Does that mean you think I'm incredibly good-looking?" Miroku looked greatly pleased. Sango swatted him and blushed. "Anyway, what do you have against jocks?" Miroku asked. "My friend, Inuyasha, is a jock."

Sango nearly dropped her test tube. "You're friends with Inuyasha?"

Miroku scratched his head. "Uh, yup. Last time I checked anyway."

Sango peered at him in curiosity. "Did you happen to know that my best friend hates your best friend?"

Miroku nodded, and laughed weakly. "Yep. Supposedly because he's a jock." He gave her a sly look. "Have you two been talking about us?" Sango blushed. "But seriously, what is it with you two and anyone popular."

"It isn't," Sango snapped, "what's wrong with being popular. Jocks are people who think they can just coast through school simply because they have athletic abilities."

Miroku nodded. "Okay, you have a point, but Inuyasha really isn't like that."

"Sure. But that's just jocks. Cheerleaders are even worse." Sango furiously began mixing oddly-colored chemicals, and Miroku watched her with a happy yet nervous expression.

"Really?"

"Yes. They demean themselves. Did you know cheerleading goes back to Ancient Greece and Rome? Back when they had gladiators, and coliseums. They'd have girls parade their bodies all over between games, and now they have these girls doing it willingly today. It's unbelievably degrading."

"But today the girls aren't naked," Miroku pointed out, some disappointment in his voice.

Sango frowned. "True, but only because law prohibits that kind of thing. Isn't it really the same?"

"Cheerleaders do gymnastics."

"If I wanted to see a gymnast," Sango said, "I'd go see a gymnast. Not some girl in a short skirt waving shredded paper. Now do you see why we hate cheerleaders?"

"Cheerleaders, yes." Miroku shifted uncomfortably. "But I still think you're wrong about the jocks. Inuyasha's totally cool about most things. Even if he never shares his Ramen at lunch."

"He's dating a cheerleader," Sango pointed out. The chemicals in her test tube began fizzing and changing colors.

"On and off," Miroku agreed. "He's not dating her currently, but she wasn't born a cheerleader. Kikyo used to be pretty cool."

"Before she got pom-poms," Sango said. Miroku stayed quite. "I rest my case."

Then their experiment blew up.

**Art, Fifth Period**

Kagome looked at her sketchpad.

What did she want to draw?

The only requirements had been that it be a pencil sketch, and that it be creative.

"This is the hardest part, isn't it?" Someone asked her from behind another sketchpad.

"Definitely," she agreed. "I was thinking of doing a dragon wrapped around a tree. Something symbolic. What about you?"

"I was going for something a bit darker," the girl answered. "A raven, a vampire...something mystic, you know? A fantasy type of thing."

"Sounds awesome," Kagome said. Picking up her pencil, she started sketching. "So you like dark stuff?"

"Yeah," the girl agreed. In a self-mocking voice, she continued, "I guess I'm becoming kind of Gothic. It's a new interest."

"Cool." Kagome smiled. Sango was a borderline Goth, and part tree-hugger. She'd get along great with this girl.

"Do you want to go to a poetry reading? It's on Saturday." the girl offered suddenly.

"Sounds great. Where at?"

"Pikes Street. It's near the library."

"Sure. Can I bring a friend?"

"Go ahead."

The bell rang.

"Well," Kagome said cheerfully. "I guess I'd better go."

"Yep." Then, to Kagome's immense surprise and horror, Kikyo stood up from behind the sketchpad. A Kikyo dressed in total black. "See ya Saturday." And she went off to her next class.

Kagome sat there, and felt herself go pale.

Had she just had an entire conversation with a cheerleader?

Namely, a cheerleader who happened to also be Kikyo?

Had she just accepted an invitation to go to a poetry reading?

An invitation issued by Kikyo?

_Well_, Kagome thought sadly, _there's no denying it. Sango's so gonna kill me._

**Lunch**

"YOU DID WHAT?"

* * *

Heh. Look what Kagome got herself into.

And keep up the reading, loyal readers. There's more to Naraku's plan then meets the eye!

Pretty soon I'm going to introduce Shippou, who will be playing the role of Inuyasha's younger brother.

Shippou is adorable.

Don't we all just love him?

Yes.

Yes we do.


	5. The Shirt and the Brother

I just came back from Wal-Mart.

They have so many bottles of Pepsi.

It's really pretty funny once you think about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #5

Inuyasha stared at Miroku.

Or, to be more accurate, he stared at the disgusting item Miroku was currently holding up to his face.

"No freakin' way."

"Oh, come on," Miroku urged. "You know you like Kagome."

"I never said I liked her."

"That's beside the point."

"No it's not."

"Anyway, I know that you do." Miroku held up the shirt. The orange, magenta, lilac, and yellow shirt. "Just try it on. Trust me, the ladies love color."

Inuyasha glared at his friend suspiciously. "Why the heck are you trying so hard to fix me up with Kagome?"

Miroku widened his eyes in shock. "Inuyasha! Are you accusing me of having alterior motives? I would never use you for anything! I just know that you like this girl, and I think you two should get together."

Inuyasha eyed the shirt doubtfully.

"Plus," Miroku added as an afterthought, "if you and Kagome get together, it gives Sango and me a greater chance at love..." He gave a small content laugh.

Inuyasha lightly punched his friend.

"Also, I found out that the girls love poetry."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well..." Miroku put on his best innocent look, which only made him succeed in looking guilty. "I found out that Sango and Kagome are planning to go to this small get-together, and I kind of told your parents that we were going to this poetry reading today..."

"Inuyasha?"

"Idiot." Inuyasha gave an exasperated moan. "If you've all ready told my parents, we might as well go." Inuyasha glanced at Miroku. "How'd my parents take it?"

"Your mother cried in joy. Your father now thinks you're a sissy. Your older brother still thinks you're a sissy. And Shippou wants to come."

"The tag along squirt?" Inuyasha shrugged. "Whatever." Grabbing the shirt out Miroku's hands, Inuyasha looked it over again. "Are you absolutely sure about this thing...?"

**Saturday, At the Poetry Reading**

Sango was mad.

Sango mad is not a pretty picture.

Sango mad is more like an atomic bomb set to go off in ten seconds.

"You didn't even both to find out who it was?" Sango asked fuming. "You accepted an invitation from a complete stranger, and you didn't even bother to find out who you were going to spend the whole Saturday with? Idiot."

Kagome shrugged sheepishly, and fiddled with some of her poetry papers. "Sorry."

"Idiot," Sango repeated.

The two girls walked along a few streets until they finally came to the building hosting the poetry reading.

It was a coffee house.

"Y'know," Sango said, suddenly perking up, "this looks cool. Maybe Kikyo's not that bad."

Kagome nodded in agreement and relief.

Inside people were already gathering and sitting around small circular tables.

Flickering candles sat anywhere there was enough space to allow them to be squeezed in.

Soft classical music—kept low and quiet—drifted around the darkened room.

And the smell of coffee and—

"Cinnamon donuts!" Kagome raced over to the refreshments table. "Sango! Look! They've got the donuts and all their cinnamon loveliness!"

Sitting with their coffee and (in Kagome's case) a supply of fresh donuts, the two girls sat at a table to wait for Kikyo.

Going through their poetry binders (Sango's was covered in GreenPeace stickers, and Kagome's covered in doodles) they chatted about varies things, listened to the music and poetry, and nibbled at Kagome's donut horde.

"Where do you think Kikyo's gotten to?" Sango wondered.

"I dunno."

They went back to talking about school.

Sipping her coffee, Kagome squinted at some random guy. Some random guy in a very...unique shirt.

"Is that Inuyasha?"

**Earlier, After Buying the Stupid Shirt**

Inuyasha glared at the passing people.

It wasn't his fault. They started it!

Staring at him like that.

Shippou didn't help much either.

"Why are you wearing that shirt? Why's it so ugly? What's if for?"

Miroku took the little kid under his arm. "You see Shippou, Inuyasha is trying to impress this really pretty girl, who basically thinks he's a loser."

_Don't kill them,_ Inuyasha mentally chanted. _Don't kill them, don't kill them..._

"Why?" Shippou grabbed tightly onto Inuyasha's hand.

"Because of something that happens to all boys. Shippou, when you grow up you are actually going to like girls. Like Inuyasha loves Kagome."

_Don't kill them..._

"Gross!"

_Don't kill..._

"Mommy," some little girl yelled, "there's a rainbow man!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Inuyasha whirled on the little girl and her mother, and screamed, "I AM NOT A RAINBOW MAN!"

This cause Miroku to crack up, and Shippou to glower and make all sorts of unhappy noises.

The mother snatched up her child and ran away screaming.

"So much," Shippou muttered, "for liking girls..."

Reaching the building, the three boys entered.

Inuyasha held on tightly to Shippou's hand, and led him over to the refreshment table.

"Can I have a donut? Huh? Inuyasha? Can I have a donut? Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?"

"Fine." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Not that you need the sugar."

Then he turned and saw Kikyo. His ex girlfriend.

Then he saw Kagome.

Then he saw Kikyo sit next to Kagome.

He was so dead.

* * *

Ooooo, romantic conflicts! Don't they make the story so much more interesting?

Okay, I know that was short.

But guess what!

Come on, guess.

(Silence)

Okay, I'll just tell you: Right now I'm going over to a Turkey Hill with my little brother (though, incidentally he's not that little).

For your information, a Turkey Hill is a gas station, where you can purchase blue raspberry slushies.

We are off to go purchase blue raspberry slushies!


	6. Switching Places

Hey, it seemed like some people had fun with Inuyasha'a whole shirt predicament.

Actually, that was based on what I saw at Wal-Mart yesterday.

There were these three guys in...bright shirts, and a little girl yelled out, "Look at the rainbow men!"

Pretty funny, but her poor mom looked really embarrassed.

Oh, and someone kindly pointed out my spelling of Shippou. I think that's the correct way, so I'm just going to spell it like that through the rest of the story. But thanks for pointing it out!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #6

Kagome was confused.

Kikyo was nice.

Heck, Kikyo was more then just nice. She was someone fun to talk to.

She didn't even use the word "like" more then once per sentence.

Now for a cheerleader, that was pretty darn weird.

And Inuyasha.

He was a jock.

Jocks normally didn't go to poetry readings.

And jocks _never_ went to poetry readings in yucky shirts.

Was this the end of the world?

Kagome looked over at Sango and Kikyo.

They were debating GreenPeace logos.

"How about: 'We save the world, It saves us'?"

"Nah, it doesn't have the right ring to it."

"So true."

"How about just: 'Go GreenPeace'?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. This was too weird.

Kikyo was the same girl she'd nailed with a tuna salad. Why did she all of a sudden want to be friends? It made no sense.

And that still left the matter of Inuyasha.

"Sango? Kikyo?" They turned to look at her. "Is that Inuyasha and Miroku?"

Spotting the two boys, Sango burst into laughter, and Kikyo's face lit up.

"Bwhahahaha! What's with that shirt? Hahahaha!" Sango's giggles soon became contagious, and all three girls were openly laughing.

Seeing as this all seemed pretty random to the people around them, they got quite a few odd looks.

Standing up, Kagome announced, "I am going to go talk to them. Coming?"

Kikyo shook her head, but Sango immediately stood.

"Sure, why not? We can torture Sir Jock about his shirt." Sango looked over her shoulder at Kikyo. "What about you? You comin'?"

"I...would rather not." Kikyo looked uncomfortable. "Inuyasha...he..." Tears started coursing down her face. "He dumped me. For some other girl." She wiped at her eyes. "She was probably prettier."

Kagome frowned. Cheerleader or not, she didn't deserve to be treated that badly.

Well, not really.

"That creep." Leaving Sango to take care of Kikyo, Kagome stomped over to the two boys.

A little redheaded kid was sitting on Miroku's shoulders.

Ignoring both Miroku and said kid, Kagome turned on Inuyasha.

"You freaky jock person! What the heck do you think you're doing here?"

Inuyasha, momentarily taken aback, growled. "It's a free city, ain't it? What kind of wench are you to tell me what to do?"

"You're a jock. This is a poetry reading." Kagome grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him. "DO THE MATH!"

"Hey!" Inuyasha slipped out of her grasp. "That's total prejudice. You can't treat me like a jerk before getting to know me."

"Yeah!" The little kid piped up. "You've gotta really get to know him, so _then_ you can treat him like a jerk."

"Not helping the situation," Miroku hissed at Shippou.

"Sorry."

Inuyasha and Kagome glared at each other.

"You wouldn't last one day as an athlete," Inuyasha spat.

"Like you could honestly be creative enough to be an artist!" Kagome retorted.

Shippou sat up higher on Miroku's shoulder. "Why don't you two try it?"

Both Kagome and Inuyasha stared at the tiny boy.

"Huh?"

"Switching places."

Miroku smiled slowly. "How about starting Monday? Kagome becomes an all-out jock. You're going to have to hang around Inuyasha's friends, and do what kind of games they usually do. Absolutely no books, TV, or music. Unless sports related, of course."

"What kind of TV is sports related?" Kagome asked angrily.

"Like, hockey games, baseball, that kind of thing. Sports channels."

Kagome blinked. "They have sports channels?"

Inuyasha added smugly, "And absolutely no poetry or art."

"What?"

Sango jumped into the conversation then. "And the same goes for Inuyasha. He has to be the picture of a intelligent, imaginative artist. Or actor. Or writer. Whichever he prefers." Sango looked Inuyasha up and down. "That will obviously take quite a bit of work."

"Excuse me?" The gears in Inuyasha's head started to turn. "Are you calling me stupid?"

"Anyway," Sango continued, ignoring the angry boy, "how long should this thing last?"

"Wait!" Kagome protested. "I didn't say I agreed to anything."

"How about a month?" Miroku offered.

"Miroku!" Inuyasha shook his head frantically. "I don't want to do this."

"Nah, that's too long. How about a week."

Sango and Miroku continued, completely ignoring their objecting friends.

"That's too short. How's two weeks sound?"

"That seems fair." Sango grinned. "And what about the stakes?"

"Inuyasha's family has a trip to Chicago every summer to see the Cubs play."

"So?"

"Kagome looses, she has to go and root on Inuyasha's favorite baseball team."

Sango smiled. "And if Inuyasha looses, he has to miss this big game and take Kagome to an art gallery of her choice."

"It's a deal."

And so the fates of Inuyasha and Kagome were sealed by their two best friends.

"This is going to be great!" Shippou then leaned down and whispered in Miroku's ear, "If Inuyasha's going to be a non-jock reject, I'd really appreciate it if you got some photographic evidence."

Miroku thought of his new Polaroid on his desk at home.

"Absolutely no problem."

It's really amazing when you think about the things that can go down in a coffee shop.

Kikyo shrunk down in her seat, unnoticed by everyone else.

"This better not screw up Naraku's plan."

* * *

A bet between Inuyasha and Kagome.

I really wasn't planning for it to come out this way, but I kind of like the results, don't you?

Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. Monday's Makeover

I was going to wait a bit until writing this chapter, but I just couldn't resist Random Person number 3's Ultra Mega Chibi eyes of doom and death.

So here you all go with chapter number seven!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha (but maybe someday...)

* * *

Chapter #7

Kagome looked at herself in the mirror.

A basketball jersey, ripped jeans, dirty sneakers, and a baseball cap.

She'd been totally jock-i-fied.

"I miss my boots."

"Awww..." Sango hugged Kagome. "My little girl's being turned into a mindless Neanderthal! I'm just so proud."

"Shut up." Kagome picked at her jersey. "You don't think this is going a little over the top, do you?"

"To be honest, yeah. I do." Sango looked at Kagome's reflection. "But we want to win this, and we want to win it fairly. Right?"

Kagome thought of all the possible art galleries she could drag Inuyasha off to.

He might even enjoy himself if he gave it a chance.

Kagome really wanted to win.

"Yeah. We're going to win this."

A knocking came from their door.

Opening it, Sango saw a very short man.

"Excuse me," the little guy said. "I'm Myouga, your landlord. I'm here for the rent..." He trailed off when he got a look at Kagome. "Well now, that's a bit of a change isn't it?"

Kagome nodded sheepishly.

Grabbing the rent, Sango handed it to the old man. "It's part of a bet." Slinging her arm around Kagome, she added confidently, "And we're gonna win it."

Myouga nodded smilingly.

"I bet you are."

**At Inuyasha's House**

Inuyasha looked at himself in the mirror.

A dark blue t-shirt, black jeans, a silver chain with a moon pendant, and combat boots.

He'd been totally art-i-fied.

"I miss my jersey."

"How cute..." Miroku beamed at Inuyasha. "My little boy's being turned into a unique and creative individual! I...I think I'm going to cry."

"Shut up." Inuyasha picked at his shirt. "You don't think this is going a little over the top, do you?"

"To be honest, yeah. I do." Miroku looked at Inuyasha's reflection. "But we want to win this, and we want to win it fairly. Right?"

Inuyasha thought of all the games he could drag Kagome off to.

She might even enjoy herself if she gave it a chance.

Inuyasha really wanted to win.

"Yeah. We're going to win this."

A knocking came from their door.

Opening it, Miroku came face-to-face with a tall slightly feminine-looking man.

"Excuse me," he said gracefully. "I'm Sesshoumaru, the idiot's brother. I'm here for my CDs that moron borrowed..." He trailed off when he got a look at Inuyasha. "Well now, that's a bit of a change isn't it?" Looking a bit amused, Sesshoumaru asked, "Little brother, are you gay?"

Inuyasha shook his head angrily.

Grabbing his precious CDs, Miroku handed it to the smiling man. "It's part of a bet." Grabbing Inuyasha's shoulder, he added confidently, "And we're gonna win it."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.

"I still think you're gay."

**Gym, First Period**

Kikyo watched Kagome change out of her sporty outfit.

Whether or not this messed up her plan, she had to admit that it was getting pretty fun to watch.

Tucking all her hair back under her cap, Kagome jogged out into the gym, only to be greeted by Inuyasha, who had a notebook tucked under his arm.

"Hello," she said in a sugary voice. "Isn't it just the best day to go running laps?" She indicated the track field with a perky wave.

"Actually," Inuyasha held up his notebook, "I'm going to be working on some short stories."

"But you can't skip _gym!_" Kagome cried in an overly-dramatic and horrified voice.

"I'm not." Inuyasha coughed delicately and smirked. "I'm sick."

The coach blew her whistle, and the two went their separate ways.

Kagome to run laps the whole period.

Joy.

Inuyasha to go make up stuff on a piece of paper.  
Rapture.

This was going to be one long class.

**French, First Period**

"So how do you think the bet's going?" Miroku asked Sango.

She scowled. "We're supposed to be studying French."

"_J'aimerais celles-ci ces femmes?_"

Sango wrinkled her nose. "Doesn't that translate to 'Can I have those women'?"

Miroku nodded. "Yes. Yes, I believe it does."

Sango rolled her eyes.

"So really, how do you think they're doing?"

"I helped Kagome pick out her clothing," Sango answered, "but I really think Inuyasha has the better chance of winning. I know Kagome, and I think she's going to crack soon. The most exercise she's ever done was walking to and from her kitchen."

"I'm going to have to disagree with you," Miroku said. "Inuyasha's the greatest and everything, but he's a few crumbs short of a cookie, if ya know what I mean. There's no way he can go a whole two weeks as a sophisticated and smart artist."

"I'd be willing to bet against you," Sango said mysteriously.

"And I'd be willing to take that bet," Miroku replied. He grinned. "And now, about the stakes of this bet..."

**After School**

Kikyo stared up at Naraku.

"And that's what they're doing. Just some stupid bet."

Naraku waved his hand dismissively. "That won't affect our plans. They might grow a little close, but won't that make the end result all the more rewarding?"

Kikyo fidgeted nervously. "Kagome and Inuyasha actually seem to like each other. Messing them up now...I dunno. I don't like it."

Naraku glared down at her. "Who's idea was this in the first place?"

Kikyo flinched. "Mine."

"Who begged me to help?"

"Me."

"And who is going to make sure everything goes as we discussed?"

"Me."

Naraku smiled. "Good. Now, about this year's junior prom..."

* * *

Sesshoumaru calling someone else gay? Now I've heard everything.

(No offense meant, all you Sesshoumaru-lovers. I think he's pretty cool myself.)

**_HUGE IMPORTANT NOTE:_**

And just so you guys know, I've been looking up all French words.

I'm actually getting them from a little dictionary sitting beside me at this very moment.

So, sorry if something's a bit off.


	8. The Proposal

Ahhh! Random Person number 3, you and your "EXTREME Ultra Mega Chibi Eyes Of Doom and Death that could make Shippos envious of the cuteness"!

How can I resist something like that?

(Sighs)

I suppose I'll have to continue dishing out chapters.

What fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #8

Kikyo tapped Naraku's shoulder.

"Hey, are you going to talk to her today?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we have the same study hall."

"And you're going to say..."

"Exactly what I said I would."  
Kikyo nodded. She didn't feel reassured, but she felt better.

"Okay."

**Computers, Fourth Period**

Miroku leaned over his keyboard.

"Hey Kagome!" He hissed.

"Go away!" She hissed back. "We're going to get in trouble."

Miroku put on his determined face. This was the only class he had with Kagome, and he wanted to use it to his advantage.

"Does Sango ever talk about me?"

"Yes."

Miroku beamed.

"But it's never good."

"Oh." He thought a little, and then smiled. "But the point is, she _does_ talk about me." Now on to more important matters. "So how's the bet going?"

Miroku and Sango had agreed that Inuyasha and Kagome didn't _really_ need to know about their own little bet.

They had also agreed not to cheat.

_But checking up on how Kagome's doing can't hurt_, Miroku reasoned.

"Actually, this sports thing isn't so bad." Kagome smiled. "Last night, I even watched a chess game."

Miroku resisted the urge to bang his head against his computer.

"Kagome? You do know that's not really a sport, right?"

Kagome frowned. "It's a game."

"It might be a game, but it's not a sport."

"Wow." Kagome shook her head. "This is a lot more complicated then I thought it would be."

Miroku sighed.

Stupid bet.

**Study Hall, Seventh Period**

Kagome was developing a theory.

She decided that the only reason people develop theories is in order to avoid doing something else.

Which was what she was doing.

Developing a theory in order to avoid doing something else.

Her homework.

"Kagome?" Sango asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"This is study hall. _Study_." Returning to her report on ancient Japan, Sango smiled. Kagome always put off her homework.

"NOOOO! The silence! CAN...NOT...TAKE...SO...MUCH...HOMEWORK!!!"

And eventually she always cracked.

The librarian gave them a death glare over her wire-rimmed glasses.

"Excuse me," a voice said in an extremely polite manner. Turning, Sango and Kagome saw an extremely tall and confident looking boy. Sango snorted, and went back to her homework. "My name is Naraku. Am I correct in assuming that you two are the girls from Chicago?"

Kagome nodded.

"And are currently participating in some sort of bet?"

Kagome nodded.

"And hate Inuyasha?"

Kagome nodded.

"So, do you wanna go to the prom with me?"

Kagome nodded.

"Hey," suddenly her brain caught up with her head. "YOU TRICKED ME!"

Naraku nodded solemnly. "Yes, yes I did."

"I'm not going to the prom with you just 'cause I said I would."

"Really?" Naraku raised an eyebrow. "Does that me you'll go with me because you really want to?"

Kagome frowned. "I dunno."

Turning, Sango looked at Kagome and Naraku.

Naraku looked kind of creepy.

And Kagome looked like she might even consider going with him.

This had to be stopped.

"How about," she spoke up, "Kagome gets back to you?"

Kagome nodded agreeably.

Naraku glared at Sango.

"Sounds good."

"Very well." Getting up to leave, Naraku said, "Also, do you mind telling Kikyo I'm happy for her? Getting back together with Inuyasha and everything." With that he swept off to the other end of the library.  
Not the most dramatic exit.

But then again, this _is_ just high school. What do you expect?

Sango looked over at Kagome, who had a decidedly calm look on her face.

"Kag? You okay?"

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"The whole Inuyasha thing..."

"All I have to care about is winning this bet," Kagome retorted, "could care less if he's dating someone. Plus, we hate each other."

She sighed, and thought, _We really do hate each other._

_Remember?_

**Health, Ninth Period**

Sango leaned over her notes.

"Hey Inuyasha!" She hissed.

"Go away!" He hissed back. "We're going to get in trouble."

Sango put on her determined face. This was the only class she had with Inuyasha, and she wanted to use it to her advantage.

"Will you tell Miroku to stop thinking of me in perverted ways?"

"Yes."

Sango beamed.

"But it's not like he'll listen."

"Oh." She thought a little, and then she smiled. "But the point is, he's a pervert." Now on to more important matters. "So how's the bet going?"

Sango and Miroku had agreed that Kagome and Inuyasha didn't _really_ need to know about their own little bet.

They had also agreed not to cheat.

_But checking up on how Inuyasha's doing can't hurt_, Sango reasoned.

"Actually, this arts thing ain't so bad." Inuyasha smiled and held up a piece of paper. "Last night, I even wrote a short poem. Eh-hem. Here it goes:

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_Sugar is sweet,_

_And so is pro-basketball._"

Sango resisted the urge to bang her head against her desk.

"Inuyasha? You do know that's not really a creative work of brilliance, right?"

Inuyasha frowned. "It's a poem."

"It might be a poem, but it's not a good poem."

"Wow." Inuyasha shook his head. "This is a lot more complicated then I thought it would be."

Sango sighed.

Stupid bet.

* * *

There we go, a whole chapter just for all you readers!

I don't know if I'll be able to update as often in the future, because school starts tomorrow.

Yep, school.

I'm about 25 percent annoyed, 25 percent excited, 25 percent horrified, and 25 percent wondering how the heck I'm going to be expected to catch the bus on time.

So if I don't have the chance to update as often, please don't be mad/worried.

I'll finish this fic.

Eventually.


	9. Dates Are Set

This chapter's not going to have much plot in it, mostly just Inuyasha and Kagome bonding time.

Ain't love grand?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha (yet...)

* * *

Chapter #9 

"Only nine more days left, only nine more days left..." Kagome sang as she jogged from her apartment to school, and then back again. "Only nine more days left, only nine more days left..."

"Ten, if you count today," a voice smugly reminded her. Inuyasha grinned from the wooden bench he occupied. Waving his notebook at her, he motioned her to sit down. "So how's the life of an athlete going?"

"Not completely horrible," Kagome answered truthfully. "I get to bug Sango with my constant ESPN watching, and jogging is a good excuse to accidentally-on-purpose run into cute guys. So I guess there're perks. What about you?"

"Chicks apparently dig artists," Inuyasha answered cheerfully. "Do you know how many numbers I can get at museums alone?" He frowned. "Except my brother has the insane idea that I'm gay."

"Oh I don't know," Kagome said lightly. "That may not be so insane."

Swatting the girl playfully, Inuyasha handed her his notebook.

"I've been ordered by Sango to give up all hopes of writing. She has this thing against my poetry." He snorted. "So much for creative license. Anyway, she made me practice my drawing instead. Whaddya think?"

He'd made caricatures of everyone.

There was Miroku feeling Sango up.

There was Sango beating Miroku up.

There was Kagome destroying sporting equipment.

There was Inuyasha pointing and laughing at Kagome.

"These," Kagome said in surprise, "are actually pretty good."

"Really?" Inuyasha asked proudly.

"Yeah." She frowned at the last picture. "Except this one."

"Heh." Inuyasha gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry 'bout that."

"Did you know that Miroku called me at five in the morning?" Kagome asked suddenly. "He made me go on a three mile walk. And then, an hour ago, he made me practice my tennis game at the community center. Do you have any clue what's going on?"  
Inuyasha scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, Sango has been bugging me lately about going to the library, drawing, and studying stuff." He grinned. "They know something we don't."

They looked at each other, and agreed loudly, "Nahhh..."

Laughing, Inuyasha grinned. "He'll probably ask her to the prom. And then they'll get married. And then they'll have kids. And then you and I are going to be stuck babysitting until the end of time."

Kagome grinned slightly, but then bit her lip. "Do you know anything about the junior prom?"

"Yeah. It's next Friday."

Her eyes widened. "This Friday?"

"No," Inuyasha corrected, "next Friday. The Friday after this Friday. The day the bet ends."

Kagome smiled wryly.

_A dance marking the end of our bet. Huh._

"Winner buys dinner," she announced.

He smirked. "It's the least I can do."

"Cocky, aren't we?"

"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?" He smiled. "Why do you want to know about the prom anyway?"

She blushed. "Someone asked me."

That caught him off guard.

"Who?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't really know him. He said his name was Naraku."

_That bastard asked Kagome out?_ Inuyasha thought. He couldn't make up his mind whether to be amused, or annoyed. _What the heck does he want with her?_

"My suggestion: don't go with him," Inuyasha announced.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"No, really," Inuyasha's expression turned serious. "He and...a cheerleader are together most of the time. He's the popular, good looking, smart, ladies' man type."

"Which," Kagome said sarcastically, "is _so_ not me."

"You're right, it isn't you," Inuyasha informed her. "You should go with someone you actually know and like."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, and then snapped it shut.

Smiling sweetly, she nodded. "I know what you mean Inuyasha, and I know exactly who I want to take to the prom."

"Who?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's a surprise." She smiled.

"Really?" Deciding that he probably didn't want to know anyway, Inuyasha changed the subject. "Did you hear about the upcoming city parade?"

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, and I really wanted to go."

"Why not."

She rolled her eyes. "The bet."

Inuyasha beamed. "That's the beauty of it! There are games and prizes for a sports buff such as yourself, and there's enough art stands and craft shows to interest a charming artist like me."

"So we can both go?"

"Yep." Inuyasha sighed. "I'm such a genius."

"Riiight," she agreed without really agreeing. "So, see ya Saturday?"

"With Miroku and Sango?"

"Sounds good." Kagome stood up. "I gotta get going. Miroku and his basketball training."

"Me too." He winced. "Sango and her art exhibit."

Waving, he walked off, notebook tucked under his arm.

Kagome smiled after him.  
But then she frowned.

Had she just accepted a date?

From Inuyasha?

Was that even a date?

Sango and Miroku were going.

"Friends with cheerleaders, a prom invite from a popular kid, dating jocks..." she rolled her eyes. "The world's gotta be ending."

* * *

Who's Kagome's mystery man? 

If you guys promise to keep reading, I promise to keep writing.

Even if these chapters have been pretty short. Heh.

Until the next chapter!

_Au revoir!_

(That's Miroku speak for: bye!)


	10. Secrets, Notes, and Weird Phone Calls

Yay! I just suffered through my first day of school! Go me!

AND I love my new English teacher! He rocks!

I really wanna thank everyone who reviewed, it just makes me feel so loved! (Sniffs)

So Izayoi, you have a friend who's down-to-earth but also a cheerleader?

Give her my congratulations. There should be more people like that in this world.

(Though, if that's how it really was, there probably wouldn't be any blond jokes, and who doesn't love blond jokes? Except the blonds, that is. Heh.)

And about Kagome's mystery man: YOU'LL NEVER GET IT OUT OF ME! NOT EVEN UNDER CHINESE WATER TORTURE! (Which, frankly, sounds kinda fun.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #10

**Fourth Period, English**

Kikyo smiled as Sango rambled on about some concert.

It had been amazingly easy to convince nearly everyone that she was now a full-out unique person.

Most of her friends, being the mindless cheerleaders that they were, believed her. They hadn't had any problems with shunning her, and the same went with most of the other popular/athletic kids.

Occasionally she still slipped in a couple of "likes" per sentence, completely out of habit.

But other then that, she was doing pretty well.

Of course that stupid boy...Miroku?...had been a little difficult to win over. Kikyo wasn't completely sure she had won him over, but what was he going to do? Really, he had nothing on her.

Inuyasha, on the other hand could be a bit of a problem.

But as long as she followed Naraku's instructions and stayed away from him, things would probably turn out fine.

Probably.

"Oh, and Kagome invited us to go to the parade on Saturday. Inuyasha and Miroku are going also, what about you? It sounds pretty cool."

Kikyo snapped back to attention.

Inuyasha was going?

"I can't," Kikyo said, with as much fake disappointment as she could muster. "My mom's on my back about this prom thing. She really wants me to go dress shopping with her."

Sango smiled dreamily.

The junior prom.

Not that she'd EVER admit it to anyone, but she was really looking forward to it.

Dancing with some great guy in an even greater dress. You can't really go wrong with that.

Sango's smile grew.

And that certain cute guy would be kind and funny, with beautiful black hair and violet eyes and—

Sango snapped out of her daydream.

_Go to the dance with Miroku?_ She snorted. _Like he'd even ask me._

Sango frowned. _Why am I thinking this way? I'm an independent woman. If I want to ask him to the dance, there should be nothing stopping me._

She rolled her eyes. _Except, of course, pure and utter terror of rejection. But other then that, my chances are pretty good._

Sango looked up when she realized Kikyo was still talking.

"...so anyway, I'm really sorry, but I can't go."

Sango nodded comfortingly, mostly glad that she hadn't been caught daydreaming about a certain black-haired boy.

"No problem. I'll just tell Kagome, and we can think up something else to do later."

Kikyo nodded with, Sango noticed, a very satisfied expression.

"That'll be perfect."

**Sixth Period, English (Again)**

Inuyasha sat in English class, completely confused.

He wasn't even confused by the homework, which was his usual annoyance in this class.

No, it was about last night.

Kagome had called, and demanded to speak to his brother.

Inuyasha, of course, stayed and listened to the whole conversation between Sesshoumaru and Kagome.

Except he only heard his brother's half, and (being the silent type) Sesshoumaru hadn't said all that much.

Why the heck had Kagome wanted to speak to Sesshoumaru?

In fact, nearly everyone in his family talked to her.

Shippou had demanded to say hi, and his mother had wanted to meet the girl all three of her sons seemed to know.

Even his father had grabbed the phone, and demanded to know what Kagome thought of the Chicago Bulls.

They had argued a bit, but then made up when they found out that they had the same weird obsession with cinnamon donuts.

Inuyasha was the only one Kagome hadn't had a real conversation with.

He watched his English teacher.

Just as the little lady turned her back, Inuyasha flicked a note expertly onto Kagome's desk.

_Yo Kag,_

_What was up with that phone call?_

_Do you mind telling me why the heck you wanted to talk to Sesshoumaru?_

_I mean, it's _Sesshoumaru. _What's up with that?_

_Inu_

Kagome, unfortunately didn't answer any of his questions.  
She really didn't have the chance, because at that moment the bell rang.

Rushing up to talk with her, Inuyasha found that she'd already gone off to her next class.

For the first time in his life, Inuyasha was unhappy that English was over.

**Between Sixth Period and Seventh, In the Hallway**

Kikyo handed Naraku a pamphlet. "They're going to the parade this Saturday. Miroku and Sango too."

He smiled slowly, looking through the little booklet listing events and times. "Great. They're getting closer together, and the prom is still a whole eight days away. Plenty of time." He handed the pamphlet back to Kikyo. "And while we're waiting for the great event, how about we have some fun with this?"

Kikyo looked at the brightly-colored piece of paper and shrugged. "I dunno. You're in charge. Just make sure you aren't seen."

Naraku held up his head confidently.

"Easy."

* * *

There, chapter ten is finished (even if it was short). I feel so satisfied that I managed to leave some clues.

Oh, and Nobody (the reviewer)? The thing is, I don't really like Kikyo.

I mean, in the anime I completely hated her.

(Stupid girl. Trying to get in the way of Inuyasha and Kagome. Grrr...)

That's just kind of how I think.

(Sorry if this annoys anyone.)

But in this fanfic, I don't really want people to hate her. I want them to dislike her strongly, but I also kind of want them to understand her a little. Or, at least how I write her.

Does that make any sense?

I hope so.

Abbi-normal? I think _someone_ has had a little two much sugar. Right on! Fight the dentists! (Heh. My mom's a dentist. Ooops.)

'Til the next chapter!


	11. Mystery Man

So, how are all my fav readers doing? Huh?

I know this is pretty much what every other author says, but (Eh-hem) WOULD YOU PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW?

Nothing in the world gives me greater pleasure then knowing I'm getting tons of reviews.

Just consider it a type of birthday present(s), 'kay?

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #11 

**On the Phone**

"Inuyasha and Kagome are officially history," Kikyo informed Naraku.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. It's all about who's taking Kagome to the prom."

Naraku was surprised.

That never happened.

It was a very new sensation.

And he didn't like it.

"What do you mean?"

"Kagome," Kikyo suppressed a smirk, "is taking..." Lowering her voice, she hissed the name gently into the receiver.

Naraku stared at the phone, and then burst into laughter. "Well now. That's better then anything we could ever have planned."

"So we're all done?" Kikyo was almost disappointed. Playing with people's feelings had been fun for a while. Even if she really hadn't been doing much except gathering gossip for Naraku.

"Kikyo, my dear, all we have left to do is sit back and enjoy the show."

"What about our plan?"

"Breaking up Inuyasha and Kagome at the prom? Believe me, my dear, this will be so much better." Naraku's voice grew sly. "Kikyo, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the prom?"

"Why Naraku," Kikyo's voice reflected his slyness, "I'd be happy to."

**After School**

Inuyasha stared at his notebook.

Sango stared at his notebook over his shoulder.

He had nothin'.

"It sure is hard being an artist," Inuyasha announced pointedly. "Especially with a hyper tree-hugger breathing down your throat!"

Sango jerked in surprise, and took a step back. "Come on, Inuyasha. Just write something!" Sango poked his back. "It doesn't have to be anything in particular, just write something. A poem, a story, a song. Whatever. Just DO it."

Inuyasha looked up at her. "Sango, are you tense?"

"I AM NOT TENSE!" Sango informed him.

"Sango, you're my friend. I worry about you." Inuyasha set down his notebook, and took on the appearance of someone not unlike a shrink. "Now let's slow down and share our _feelings_."

Sango looked him strait in the eye. "I can't believe you just said that." She paused. "Are you on drugs or something?"

Inuyasha glared, before resuming his psychologist-like-pose. Hey, anyway to get out of his daily creative time. "Sango, what's bothering you?"

"The junior prom," she grudgingly admitted.

"Miroku?" Inuyasha asked knowingly.

"Yeah."

"You know," Inuyasha said thoughtfully, "it's really no big deal whether or not you have a date. I mean, I'm going, and I don't have a date."

"That's just 'cause you're too chicken to ask Kagome."

Inuyasha steamed a bit, and then ground out, "That's not the point. You like Miroku. Miroku likes you. You are going to ask him out."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am." Sango stopped in horror.

Inuyasha sat back and smiled. "Ahhh...the things you can learn from Saturday morning cartoons."

"But...what if...he says he doesn't like me?" Sango asked quietly.

"Does that sound like Miroku?"

"No, but—"

"Come on Sango!" Inuyasha interrupted. "This is the guy who groped you in French—"

"HE TOLD YOU TH—?"

"—do you really think he's not going to jump at the chance to take you to the prom?"

"Fine," she sighed. And then she smiled. "Thanks Inuyasha," Sango said. "You've been amazingly helpful today."

"Why, thank you Sango."

"I'm going to follow your advice."

"I'm sure you will."

"And if it doesn't work out, I'll just hunt ya down and kill ya."

Inuyasha nodded solemnly.

"I figured that much."

**After School, Just in Another Part of the City**

Kagome grunted, and then pushed herself up off the ground.

Push-ups, is what Miroku said.

Hell, is what she thought.

"You can do it Kag!" Miroku encouraged. "You've already gotten fifteen. All you need now is eighty-five."

Kagome blew some hair out of her face. "Comforting," she growled. She lowered her body to the ground, and then pushed up again.

"So, do you think Sango would go to the prom if I asked her? I really wouldn't mind taking her. It is, after all, either her or my mother." Miroku shuddered. "But let's not bring up bad memories. Anyway, if I did ask her, what type of flowers would she like? Roses? Those are kinda expensive, aren't they?" Miroku continued blabbing while Kagome struggled with her push-ups.

"Mir-o-ku?" Kagome whispered between pants.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Okay." Miroku looked at his watch. "Oh, by the way, your time's been up for the last five minutes."

Kagome collapsed on the ground, and sent a death look up at Miroku.

"It's Friday night, and I have nothing better to do with my life then work on this bet with you." Kagome shook her head. "I'm pathetic."

"You kind of are," Miroku agreed. "Bright side: Inuyasha's doing the same thing with Sango. Well, not the same thing. But something to do with his part of the bet."

"Why are you and Sango so set on this whole bet?" She watched as he started to squirm. "You two are betting on us, huh?"

"Yes."

"And Sango thought Inuyasha would win, huh?"

"Yes."

She flopped over on her back. "Great."

He sat down next to her. "So, who are you taking to the dance?"

"That's a huge change of subject." Smiling, she answered, "Inuyasha's brother."

Miroku looked at her in utter bewilderment. "You're taking Se—"

"_YES!_" Kagome burst out in annoyance. "So what if I'm taking his brother? He's pretty cute, really smart, and I had nobody else."

"You mean like Inuyasha?"

Kagome glared.

"I just hope you know what you're doing," Miroku said sadly.

_Kagome and Sesshoumaru. That's a really big difference between Kagome and Inuyasha. If this ends badly, at least I can tell her I-told-her-so._

"It's going to be fine," Kagome assured him.

Miroku nodded sadly.

_That doesn't mean Inuyasha will be._

**That Night On the Phone**

"What?!" Inuyasha growled. "Sesshoumaru's taking her!"

Miroku winced. "There's no need to yell..."

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

The line went dead.

Miroku stared at the phone.

"I think," he said to himself, "that I just killed Kagome's date. Or her crush. Neither one is very good."

**At Inuyasha's House**

"I can't believe you're taking her out!" Inuyasha yelled at Sesshoumaru.

"Well," his brother looked taken back. "She asked. I thought I was doing her a favor."

"What about me?"

"What about you?" Sesshoumaru frowned. "If you really want to take her, you can just a ask. I hardly think it's that big a deal."

Inuyasha deflated.

It was hard to be mad at someone who really didn't care one way or the other.

And if Kagome really wanted to take him...

But he was Sesshoumaru. Why could she have asked him?

He sighed.

Saturday's parade was, without a doubt, going to be the longest of his life.

* * *

There, I've revealed Kagome's mystery man. 

But beware, dear readers, things are not always as they seem.

BWHAHAHAHA!!!

There is a definite twist, I am happy to say.

PLEASE review!

It would make me very happy.


	12. A Really Bad Parade

Here's chapter twelve!

(Beware, there's a small Inu/Kag spat.)

And Kikyo's finally out of the picture!

Well, kinda.

* * *

Chapter #12

**At the Parade**

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye.

He hadn't said a single word to her since...well, for the whole day.

Sango seemed just as confused, but Miroku kept sending her fleeting guilty looks.

"You know what," Miroku said suddenly. He pointed to a photography stall. "I just want to show Sango something really quick. Okay?"

Sango shook her head. "But—"

"Come on Sango," Miroku urged with a pleading look.

"Fine." Reluctantly, she let herself be dragged off by Miroku.

**In the Photography Stall**

"...and so now Inuyasha's mad at Kagome."

Sango didn't even try to stop her jaw from hanging open.

"Kagome's going to the dance with Sesshoumaru? As in Inuyasha's brother?" Sango shook her head. "How did she even meet him? I didn't know Inuyasha even _had_ a brother until just now."

Miroku sighed. "I guess she met him at school or something. This whole prom is making things even weirder then usual."

Sango took a deep breath. This was it. "In speaking of the prom, I don't have anyone to go with. If you didn't have anyone either I just thought you and I could go. With each other. Together. For the prom." Sango knew she sounded like a babbling idiot, but she held her breath anyway in hopes of Miroku's answer.

Grinning, Miroku nodded enthusiastically. "I'd love to go with ya Sango. It'll be fun." He puffed out his chest. "I can even drive us!"

Sango was only slightly impressed.  
Of course, she didn't show it.

"But what about Inuyasha and Kagome?"

Miroku's smile only dimmed a bit.

"Yeah, about that: we're going have to keep an eye on Inuyasha for the next few days. He's a little...testy."

They could hear the muffled voices of their two friends in the next stall.

"WHAT THE HELL TO DO YOU MEAN 'DO YOU HAVE A DATE'? DO YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE PROM WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH MY BROTHER?"

Miroku rolled his eyes.

Sango bit her lip.

"Great."

"Oh dear."

Rushing over in time to see the big eruption, Sango and Miroku could do nothing but sit by and watch the disaster.

"So what if I'm going with your brother?" Kagome growled. "He's a real sweetie."

"Him? Sweet? As if!" Inuyasha bared down on the angry girl. "But I guess I wouldn't know, I only live with him!"

"Don't yell!"

"I'M NOT YELLING!"

Turning their backs on each other, Kagome and Inuyasha walked off.

Miroku and Sango sighed in unison.

"At least there's a bright side."

"And that would be?"

Sango shrugged. "Well, this'll be a very interesting prom."

**Sunday, At the Mall**

Kagome handed Sango a dress.

"How about this one?"

Sango looked at the slinky little black number, and said dryly, "I'm certain Miroku will enjoy this one. Could you find something that shows a little less skin?"

"Er...okay. How about this one."

Sango sweatdropped as she held up the bulky knitted dress.

"Kagome, I said less skin. How do you translate that into 'grandma dress'?" She made a grab for the hanger. "Wait, I take that back. My grandmother would never wear something this dorky."

"Hi girls," Kikyo's voice drifted into the store.

"Hey Kik—" Kagome stopped in her greeting.

There was Kikyo in full-out cheerleading gear.

"What happened," Sango's voice grew dangerously low, "to 'I quit the team'?"

Kikyo shrugged airily, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I, like, decided to change my image." She smirked. "Again."

"You...you..." Kagome was at a complete loss for words. "You are not a unique person."

"No," Kikyo agreed. "No I'm not."

"You were never our friend," Sango said, stating it simply and emotionlessly.

"No," Kikyo agreed again. "No I wasn't."

Turning she walked out of the store.

"A gold star," Kagome announced without a smile, "whoever saw that coming."

Sango turned back to the dress rack. "Nothing for us then."

They rummaged through the clothing a bit more, before cheering up.

"So, do you think this'll work in the prom setting?" Kagome asked, holding up a green skirt.

"It's okay." Sango looked at Kagome guiltily. "Kagome, I know you and Inuyasha are fighting, but Miroku wants to go with him."

"That jerk?" Kagome plucked at a tan dress. "You can go with him. I guess. I'll have a date." She stopped, and turned slowly to Sango. "Just promise me something, okay?"

"What?"

"Just...just spend some time with me or something." Kagome looked at Sango hopefully. "You think you can do that?"

"I'll pencil you in."

Giggling, the girls went back to shopping.

A backstabbing friend.

A huge fight.

Nothing to wear.

What a year.

* * *

Ta-da! Yet another chapter is finished!

Onto the next one!

(Please review!)


	13. The Prom

Are you readers ready for that twist I've been promising?

Well here ya go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #13

**Prom Night, At the Dance**

Inuyasha watched his friends talk and laugh.

He'd gone a whole week without talking to Kagome.

He stilled kept up his side of the bet though, and he assumed she still did as well.

It wasn't really a bet anymore. It wasn't even that much like a competition.

Now it seemed like it was about proving something, and getting it over with.

Inuyasha straitened his tie, and smiled at one of Miroku's jokes.

This was probably the worst night of his life.

**Just Outside the School**

Kagome held her date's hand, and nervously gave him a smile.

"Well, here we go." She nodded towards the car. "I really appreciate the ride Sesshoumaru."

He smiled, a rare show of emotion for him. "No problem."

Facing the building, she lead Inuyasha's brother inside.

This was probably the worst night of her life.

**Inside**

Miroku and Sango were having a blast.

The dancing, the music, and (in Miroku's case) the women! It had to be one of the coolest proms ever.

Except for the small matter of Inuyasha moping about.

"Cheer up," Sango ordered him. "It's your junior prom. You have to be happy."

"Hey!" Miroku called. "There's Kagome."

Inuyasha sat down in a chair and scowled. "I don't want to look at her. Or my idiot brother."

"No, Inuyasha," Sango's eyes widened. "You _really_ have to see this..."

Inuyasha sighed, and turned to see Kagome and Shippou.

Not Kagome and Sesshoumaru.

Not Kagome and Naraku.

Kagome and his little brother.

Kagome looking beautiful in a simple white dress, her hair swept back in an elegant bun, and a casual pair of strappy sandles.

It was enough to make any guy reconsider his date choice.

"What the hell?" Rushing from his seat, Inuyasha confronted the two. "Kagome, you...you..."

Miroku, over Inuyasha's shoulder, said, "I think what he means is, why aren't you here with Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome looked at them in confusion. "I never said I was going with Sesshoumaru. I said I was going with Inuyasha's brother. I thought you guys knew which one."

"Shippou?" Inuyasha burst out in disbelief.

Flushing red, Kagome snapped, "I thought taking him would be fun."

"'Cause we all know just how darn cute I am!" Shippou piped up.

"Sesshoumaru said he was taking you!" Inuyasha snarled.

"Yes," Kagome snapped, "I don't have my driver's license yet. He _did _take me. He's just not my date."

Inuyasha felt like there was no air in the room.

"Kagome—"

"Save it Inuyasha."

"I'm sorry." Lowering his eyes, he said, "I was jealous. I really thought you liked my brother."

"But I didn't."

Miroku and Sango wisely left the two alone.

Showing Shippou over to the punch bowl, they distracted the little kid until they thought it was safe.

Off to the side Naraku and Kikyo observed with identical looks of satisfaction.

"Kagome," Inuyasha's voice grew quiet. "I have something to say. Kagome, I...I..."

"I don't care!" Tears streamed down her face. "Don't you get it Inuyasha? You're already won. Can't you just leave me alone? I hate you!" Sobbing, the girl bolted from the dance floor.

Inuyasha stared at the spot she had been standing a moment before.

"...I love you."

**In the Parking Lot**

"That went," Naraku admitted, "far better then I thought it would."

"Yes," agreed Kikyo, swishing a bit of left-over punch in her cup. "It was great." She held the cup towards Naraku. "Cheers? To the perfect prom?"

Naraku smiled, and clinked his glass against hers.

"Cheers."

* * *

How was that for a twist?

Sorry for the short chapter.

To be honest, I really don't like how I wrote this story anymore.

But (for all of you that actually like my work) don't worry, I'm going to keep updating.

Please review (sorry, I feel the need to remind you).


	14. The News

Okay, first off I would like to thank my wonderful reviewers for their encouraging comments. It really got me excited about this story again!

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and sorry for the cliffhanger.

But those are part of what make fanfics great, right?

Right.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

Chapter #14

Inuyasha stared at the wall of his room.

"_You've already won_."

Like he still cared about the bet.

"_Can't you just leave me alone?_"

She hadn't even let him explain.

"_I hate you!_"

Yeah, that one had hurt the most.

He had left the prom with Sango, Miroku, and Shippou.

He had gone home, ignored his brother, smiled at his parents, and announced that he wasn't going with them to Chicago this year.

They were surprised, but—after hearing Shippou's version of the story—figured it really couldn't hurt anything, so they agreed to let him stay at Miroku's

This could show her.

He didn't care about the stupid bet.

He cared about Kagome.

The girl who doodled cartoons during English.

The girl who hugged herself when she laughed.

The girl who thought it would be fun to take his little brother to the prom.

There was only one thing left to do, now that he had canceled plans. Inuyasha had already talked to Miroku (who was stilled thrilled about dating Sango), and had gotten absolutely no good advice.

"When in doubt, grope her out!" Miroku had told him cheerfully. "It's my motto, and it's always worked for me!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes fondly.

The idiot.

All there was left to do now was go talk to Sango.

Who else knew Kagome inside and out?

_I can still get her back_, Inuyasha promised himself. _I can still get her back..._

**Sunday, The Central Park Zoo**

Sango was feeding the ducks and sighing.

The prom had been both the best and worst night of her life.

She had had an awsome time with a really great guy, but her best friend and her crush's best friends' hearts had been ripped out and squished.

Just squished.

Like a bug.

When she had gotten home, she had rushed to find Kagome.

At first she had been excited—Miroku had asked her out on another date!

But then she actually found Kagome crying in her bedroom.

After sobbing on Sango's shoulder for a while, Kagome had explained what had to be done.

Frankly, Sango knew what Kagome was going to do was for the best.

She knew that Kagome had the right idea, and knew that what she was about to do would make things easier on everyone.

But that didn't make it any less painful.

Why did Kikyo plant those stupid ideas about Inuyasha in their heads?

If they had seriously given him a chance to start with, things probably would be completely different.

Why didn't Inuyasha just suck it up and ask Kagome to the prom?

Why was the idea of her dating Sesshoumaru so horrible?

Why didn't Kagome let Inuyasha explain himself?

Sango sighed, and tossed a piece of bread to an especially fat duck.

"Yo Sango!" A familiar voice called urgently. "I need to talk to you."

Holding a piece of bread out to the boy, Sango said dryly, "Here Inuyasha. Pull up a bench, feed the ducks, and tell me what you want."

"I canceled my trip to Chicago," Inuyasha told her horridly. "I'm staying back from the game of the century, my brother thinks I'm gay, my parents are thinking about counseling, and Shippou wants to know when Kagome's coming back. I did that all for her." He looked at Sango expectantly.

"So?"

His stomach dropped to his sneakers. "Do you think Kagome will…I mean, after all that…what else could I do?...I love her."

Sango looked at him with an odd expression.

That frightened Inuyasha.

She looked like she pitied him.

At this point he'd almost have preferred anger.

"Don't you know?"

Inuyasha sat down heavily on a bench. "Know what?"

Sango smiled, but she didn't look happy.

"It's kind of funny. You gave up your trip to Chicago, but that's exactly where Kagome went." She peered into his face. "Inuyasha, she went home."

* * *

Awww...poor Inu.

What's he going to do without Kagome?

Keep reading and find out!

Oh, and reviewing wouldn't hurt either.

See ya!


	15. A Note and Kagome's Landlord

Hi all you readers!

This story's getting REALLY close to being over.

(Waves around little party-noise-maker-thingie.)

Let's celebrate!

Reviews all around!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

**Chapter #15**

Inuyasha stared dully at Sango.

"She went home," he repeated.

"Yes."

Looking down, he shrugged off his backpack.

Rummaging for a bit, he came up with a pad and pen.

Scribbling furiously, Inuyasha ripped out a piece of paper, and handed it to Sango.

"Could you make sure she gets this?"

Turning, he walked away.

Sango glanced down at the paper with a guilty look.

Technically, what she told Inuyasha was true.

Sort of.

Kagome _was_ going home.

Today.

She just hadn't _gone_ home.

_Like she could really stand the sight of Inuyasha before getting on that plane_, Sango thought to herself, not feeling the least bit better. _I was doing them both a favor. If she really is serious about going home, seeing him will just make the whole thing harder._

Stuffing the note into her pocket, Sango threw the rest of her bread to the ducks, and started walking home.

**Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-Three Feet Above the Ground**

Kagome stared out the window.

Getting a window seat on such a crowded airplane truly was a stroke of luck, something Kagome hadn't had much of lately.

She even got a nice little free pack of pretzels.

Kagome smiled.

Maybe this was a sign that things were turning around for her.

_(Flashback)_

Myouga looked uncertainly at the sobbing girl.

"Miss? Miss? Look Miss, I'm just here to collect the rent."

The girl looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "It's on the table." Then she went back to crying into her pillow.

Collecting the envelope, Myouga glanced hesitantly from the door to the girl.

Should he go, or should he help out?

"Miss, is there something I can help you with?"

Ah, the curses of being a kind-hearted geezer.

Suddenly lunging and wrapping her arms around the poor little man, Kagome blubbered into his tweed coat, "The guy I love is a jerk, and now I'm going home to Chicago!"

"Uh..." Myouga suddenly wished that he had had some granddaughters to practice this sort of thing on. "Tell me everything. I guess."

_(Flash forward)_

Kagome nodded to herself. Myouga really had been a sweet guy, even if he had no clue about how to talk to young teenage girls.

She eyed the note Sango had given her.

Should she read it?

Kagome faced the window again with a small huffing sound.

Like anything he had to say would change her mind.

But then again, this was Inuyasha.

The only guy in the world who knew of her love for cinnamon donuts.

Reading this thing wouldn't hurt.

It couldn't hurt

_Yo Kagome,_

_I really don't know is or when this'll ever get to you, but here it goes:_

_I love you._

_I know I've been a jerk, but you've gotta admit that I've been trying._

_And remember your first day here? It's not like you haven't had your share of jerk-y-ness either._

_Judging me 'cause I'm a jock and all that._

_But that doesn't matter. I love you._

_So, should you decide to change your mind, you know where to find me._

_Love, Inuyasha_

_P.S._

_Shippou misses ya too. We all do._

_Now that you're gone, Miroku's going to have quite a lot of trouble trying to figure out what to say to Sango._

Kagome giggled, figured away her tears, and leaned against her seat.

Once again she'd been wrong.

That had hurt.

* * *

(Sniffs) So sad...so surprising...

Well, I guess not really.

But that's only 'cause I know what's going to happen.

And you guys don't!

Bwhahahaha!


	16. Thoughts, Schemes, and an Ending

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

This is the very last chapter! I'm so sad!

(Sniffs)

This is the end of my very first Inuyasha romance fic! It's so sad! I feel so depressed!

(Suddenly has an idea)

Wait, that means I get to start a whole NEW Inuyasha romance fic!

Yay for romance fics!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

**Chapter # 16**

Miroku looked out the library window.

What a dark day.

"Hey." Arms wrapped around his middle, and Sango pecked his cheek. "What's with that face?"

"Inuyasha. Kagome." Miroku shook his head. "Need I say more?"

Sango grinned. "Well, who knows? It might turn out all right."

Miroku looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You know something."

"Yes. Yes I do." Sango hugged him tighter. "But I'm not going to tell you, unless you hold up your end of our deal."

Miroku raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Deal?"

"The bet," Sango sang. "Kagome said it herself: Inuyasha won. Now, you're going to take me out to dinner tonight—just as we agreed—and I'll tell you everything." She tweaked his ear impishly. "Inuyasha and Kagome might even join us." She winked. "And I gave Naraku a small call. Kikyo and him are getting together, and I was the one who extended the invitation."

Miroku grabbed her hands. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"No, but I sure wouldn't mind hearing it."

And suddenly, Miroku's world was a whole lot brighter.

**At School**

Kikyo looked up at Naraku uncertainly.

"You sure it was Kagome who called us?" She frowned. "Why are we even here?"

"She said," Naraku growled, "that she wanted our help with revenge. There's only one person in the world she could possibly want revenge against, so of course we're going to help her."

"But why would she want our help? She's friends with Sango and Miroku."

Naraku snorted. "Friends. Right. She's just like everyone else: she sees an opportunity, so she's going to take it."

"Eh-hem." The two turned to come face-to-face with their principle. "I'd gotten a call saying vandals were coming here. Looks like my informant was correct."

"Informant?" Kikyo yelped.

"Yes. Strangest thing, too. Whoever it was wanted me to thank you for some revenge thing." He looked from Kikyo to Naraku. "Now, I'm going to have to ask the two of you to come to my office this moment."

Naraku lowered his head sullenly.

"Damn."

**Outside a Donut Shop**

It was raining, and that made Inuyasha feel better.

If he had to feel miserable, it was only right that nature felt that way too.

Inuyasha stared at the donut shop, and then walked inside.

The things that remind you of someone really are amazing.

Kagome.

Cinnamon donuts.

"Hey," the baker leaned on his counter. "May I help you?"

Inuyasha looked over the selections.

"Sure. I guess..." He smiled. "I guess I'll have a bag of cinnamon donuts." If he couldn't have Kagome, he could at least have her favorite snack food.

He sat just outside the bakery on one of the stone benches.

Was she still mad at him?

Even after everything that happened?

Even after he told her how he felt?

And that note?

Inuyasha opened the paper bag, and was hit with the smell of fresh donuts.

"You are going to share those, right?"

Inuyasha turned and saw a figure slowly walk across the street.

And she towards him.

Black hair messy from the rain, a yellow slicker and clunky boots, dirty clothing, and those wonderful shining eyes.

Beautiful.

He stood, and walked toward her.

They met in the middle of the street.

She raised an eyebrow. "So, do I get one of those donuts or what?"

Leaning over, he kissed her.

She smiled up into his face. "You know what? I think I prefer kisses to donuts anyway."

So in the middle of the street, in the middle of New York, in front of all the angry and swearing and honking drivers, Kagome and Inuyasha kissed again.

And again.

And again.

They only stopped when the traffic light changed colors.

Yeah, like that could keep them apart very long.

"I thought you were supposed to be in Chicago," Inuyasha whispered into her neck.

"Well, it would've been an awfully long ride, and I couldn't bear to leave my landlord."

Inuyasha smirked. "You're landlord. Right."

"Exactly. His name's Myouga."

Inuyasha lost his smirk. "You're serious."

She burst into laughter. "No."

"Is this like forever?" Inuyasha asked, suddenly very somber.

"For the rest of this year, and the rest of my senior year." Kagome shrugged. "I have to go back to Chicago for the summer, but other then that, yeah. This is forever."

And so they lived happily ever after.

Well...as happy as you can get with perverted and tree-hugging friends, a hyper little brother, a wise yet nosey landlord, and two very popular enemies.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose. "We have a weird story."  
Kagome tapped his forehead. "The point is: it's ours."

Inuyasha grinned. "True, I guess. It _is_ our story."

"Yeah." Kagome buried her face into his shoulder. "Ours."

END

* * *

It's done! My beautiful fic is done! 

And believe me, it's going to stay done.

I'm not exactly the sequel type, so please don't ask for one.

(Sighs)

Ain't fluff romantic?

I'd like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed this fic. I don't really feel like going through all those reviews and listing all the names, but YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

Thanks.

Now, I can take a well-deserved rest and think up ideas for my next fic.

(Big grin)

Okay, any suggestions?

But first, here's a side story for all of you wonderful reviewers:

* * *

**Shippou's Adventure at the Prom**

Shippou looked around.

This was boring. A cute kid like him deserved so much better.

Then he spotted the refreshments table.

Bingo.

Stealthily sneaking around dancing couples, Shippou made his way to the table laden with heavenly-looking goodies and punch.

"Yo, it's a mini dude." A high schooler bent down and grinned at Shippou. "What's up little man?"

"The ceiling," Shippou said in a perfectly serious voice.

"Awww..." The boy's date bent down also, and began fussing over Shippou. "Aren't you just the most adorable little thing?" She fluffed up his hair with her fingers. "What's a little kid like you doing here?"

"I'm here with my date." Shippou turned and pointed at Kagome. "Her." The couple gave each other startled looks. "My brother's in love with her, but he's gay. At least that's what my other brother said. My other brother drove us here, but first he called Kagome a lady dog. I don't really know why he called her a lady dog, but she told him to do something with himself." He scratched his head. "I don't really get exactly _what_ she said, but I knew it was bad 'cause he got all huffy and then went off."

The girl looked at Shippou in something close to astonishment. "Oh my..."

"But then Inuyasha—he's the gay brother who loves Kagome—his friend, Miroku, showed up with his date. They're supposed to be taking care of me right now, but they walked off. I think they're kissing behind a bush or something." Shippou nodded wisely. "Miroku's a pervert y'know."

By now the couple had started looking for authority figures. This kid was defiantly messed up. Who wouldn't be with a family like that?

So Shippou started back on his journey to the refreshments table.

"It's, like, a cute little kid!" some blond girl squealed. Then before Shippou could even scream for help, he was surrouned by a whole squad.

Of cheerleaders.

"He's, like, so tiny!"

"Look at those widdle fwuffy ears!"

"Goochy, goochy, goo!"

"Do you think he has parents?"

"What can, like, use him for our mascot!"

"Yeah!"

"HELP!"

Struggling wildly against the many manicured hands, Shippou tried in vain to free himself.

Walking by, Kagome frowned. Shippou was supposed to be her date.

"Ladies?" the cheerleaders faced Kagome. "There's a fifty-percent-off sale at the mall. Plus, buy one get one free at Pom-Poms R Us."

The cheerleaders all screamed in joy, and rushed off.

"Thanks Kagome."

"No problem Shippou. Save me a dance later?"

"Sure."

Watching Kagome walk off, Shippou decided that his brother fell in love with a very cool girl.

Then renewed hunger rumbled through his tiny stomach, and he again started on his way to the snack table.

Finally reaching it, he grabbed himself a plastic plate and began piling on food.

"Hey kid," a very sleazy looking boy hissed. "Try the punch." Then he walked off laughing.

Nodding innocently in agreement, Shippou poured himself a huge cup of punch, and started sipping it.

Hey, this stuff really wasn't all that bad...

Shippou then woke up to see Sango and Miroku hovering over him.

"What are we going to do? The kid's totally drunk."

Sango shook her head. "All we can do is clean him up, and hope Inuyasha doesn't kill us."

Miroku looked Shippou up and down. "Do you really think he'll even notice?"

A figure walked up behind the two, and Shippou could dimly make out silver hair. Probably Inuyasha.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

Yep, it definitely Inuyasha.

Later, on the ride home, Shippou decided that all in all, it had been a pretty nice dance.

Then again, it was probably the punch talking.

THE END (For real this time)

* * *

How was that? 

I know it was kind of a sloppy little story, but I did it quickly 'cause I thought someone out there might like it.

Buh-bye for now!


End file.
